Lrd Vdr
12-21-2009, 04:42 AM
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
The New Orleans Saints (13-1) are no longer undefeated. The Dallas Cowboys (9-5) still have the NFC East title in their crosshairs.
Saturday's 24-17 victory inside a deafening Superdome pulled the Cowboys within a half-game of the first-place Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) and tempered the franchise's well-documented struggles in December. They also avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2004, having lost the month's first two games by a combined 10 points to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers.
"I said all along that this team has a lot of heart, a lot of character, a lot of leaders," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "Things weren't going well for us with two losses in a row. I didn't think this team could get beat three times in a row and they didn't.
"We still control our own destiny. A lot of people said, 'Ha ha' because you're playing the Saints."
Few gave them a chance, but few will call them pretenders now.
Not after spoiling New Orleans' bid to join the 2007 New England Patriots - and perhaps the 2009 Indianapolis Colts - as the only 16-0 teams in NFL history. Not after outplaying a Saints team that hadn't scored fewer than 24 points all season and had won its first five home games by an average of 19 points.
Week-long talk about the Saints' perfection fueled them.
"Premium unleaded," wide receiver Patrick Crayton said.
"We were a little wounded coming into this. If we want any chance to be playing in (late) January, we knew we had to be fighting."
It wasn't a (big) easy task, though the Cowboys made it look that way by taking a 24-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
The offense, led by quarterback Tony Romo (22 of 34, 312 yards, TD) and wide receiver Miles Austin (seven catches, 139 yards, TD), scored on its first two possessions for the first time since November 2008. The defense stifled quarterback Drew Brees - the catalyst for the league's highest-scoring offense (35.8) - and held the Saints to a season-low three points in the first half.
Trailing 24-3 early in the fourth, Brees directed two straight touchdown drives to pull within seven points. Then Cowboys kicker Nick Folk clanked a chip-shot 24-yard field goal off the right upright, and amazingly the Saints had a chance to tie in the final two minutes.
New Orleans drove to the Cowboys' 42-yard line with 12 seconds left, but Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware - playing limited reps with a strained neck muscle suffered against the Chargers - sacked Brees and forced a fumble that nose tackle Jay Ratliff recovered. Ball game.
The Cowboys held New Orleans to 336 total yards and only 1-of-7 third down conversions. The defense forced three consecutive punts to start the game, allowing the offense to build an early lead and ultimately win time of possession, 36:26 to 23:34.
"We came in with the same mentality we have every week, and that's to stop them from scoring, period," said cornerback Mike Jenkins, who intercepted Brees at the Cowboys' four-yard line just before halftime. "If our offense goes out and puts up points and their offense doesn't score, we're going to win."
The next step is capitalizing on their December momentum. Coming up is another road test against rival Washington, followed by the home finale against Philadelphia - a game that could decide the division. The Saints still own the NFC's top seed but will have to regroup with two games left.
Hey, nobody's perfect.
"Everybody was talking about them and no one was talking about us," Romo said. "And I think, as a team, that motivated us a lot. We knew coming here tonight, playing an undefeated team here in their building, that this was going to be a real tough challenge. We knew coming in the significance of the game - that they were undefeated and chasing history.
http://i47.tinypic.com/2i8909l.jpg
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
The New Orleans Saints (13-1) are no longer undefeated. The Dallas Cowboys (9-5) still have the NFC East title in their crosshairs.
Saturday's 24-17 victory inside a deafening Superdome pulled the Cowboys within a half-game of the first-place Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) and tempered the franchise's well-documented struggles in December. They also avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2004, having lost the month's first two games by a combined 10 points to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers.
"I said all along that this team has a lot of heart, a lot of character, a lot of leaders," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "Things weren't going well for us with two losses in a row. I didn't think this team could get beat three times in a row and they didn't.
"We still control our own destiny. A lot of people said, 'Ha ha' because you're playing the Saints."
Few gave them a chance, but few will call them pretenders now.
Not after spoiling New Orleans' bid to join the 2007 New England Patriots - and perhaps the 2009 Indianapolis Colts - as the only 16-0 teams in NFL history. Not after outplaying a Saints team that hadn't scored fewer than 24 points all season and had won its first five home games by an average of 19 points.
Week-long talk about the Saints' perfection fueled them.
"Premium unleaded," wide receiver Patrick Crayton said.
"We were a little wounded coming into this. If we want any chance to be playing in (late) January, we knew we had to be fighting."
It wasn't a (big) easy task, though the Cowboys made it look that way by taking a 24-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
The offense, led by quarterback Tony Romo (22 of 34, 312 yards, TD) and wide receiver Miles Austin (seven catches, 139 yards, TD), scored on its first two possessions for the first time since November 2008. The defense stifled quarterback Drew Brees - the catalyst for the league's highest-scoring offense (35.8) - and held the Saints to a season-low three points in the first half.
Trailing 24-3 early in the fourth, Brees directed two straight touchdown drives to pull within seven points. Then Cowboys kicker Nick Folk clanked a chip-shot 24-yard field goal off the right upright, and amazingly the Saints had a chance to tie in the final two minutes.
New Orleans drove to the Cowboys' 42-yard line with 12 seconds left, but Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware - playing limited reps with a strained neck muscle suffered against the Chargers - sacked Brees and forced a fumble that nose tackle Jay Ratliff recovered. Ball game.
The Cowboys held New Orleans to 336 total yards and only 1-of-7 third down conversions. The defense forced three consecutive punts to start the game, allowing the offense to build an early lead and ultimately win time of possession, 36:26 to 23:34.
"We came in with the same mentality we have every week, and that's to stop them from scoring, period," said cornerback Mike Jenkins, who intercepted Brees at the Cowboys' four-yard line just before halftime. "If our offense goes out and puts up points and their offense doesn't score, we're going to win."
The next step is capitalizing on their December momentum. Coming up is another road test against rival Washington, followed by the home finale against Philadelphia - a game that could decide the division. The Saints still own the NFC's top seed but will have to regroup with two games left.
Hey, nobody's perfect.
"Everybody was talking about them and no one was talking about us," Romo said. "And I think, as a team, that motivated us a lot. We knew coming here tonight, playing an undefeated team here in their building, that this was going to be a real tough challenge. We knew coming in the significance of the game - that they were undefeated and chasing history.
http://i47.tinypic.com/2i8909l.jpg